“What’s B-1 and P-1?”
“Sorry sir. Bald Mountain and Papoose Mountain.”
“What do you need from me at this point? More men?”
“No sir. That would only compound the problem. We have all the manpower we need. Unfamiliar troops would only cause us additional problems not to mention the security aspect,” the general replied.
“Very well general. I understand your reasoning. I want to be kept informed of any progress and I want to know the minute he is located,” the President said, refraining from adding ‘one way or the other’.
“Yes sir. You will be the first to know. We are all praying that he is found alive and well. I will report anything back to you as soon we discover anything significant,” the general assured him.
“Thank you general,” the President said, hanging up.
Why would Raymond just wonder off like that? He was a bright and intelligent man. It certainly seemed totally out of character for him. And the comment the general made about his relationship with Dr. Yurris. Raymond would not just throw caution to the wind for a fling, no matter how attractive she was.
He didn’t want to let his imagination get away from him and yet something just didn’t seem right. Was it just because he didn’t trust the general or could it be that he had stumbled onto something that put him in danger? Whatever it was, he wasn’t going to wait very long before he took a more drastic approach he decided.
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
“What did the general want?” one of the team members asked Doctor Yurris as he saw him walking away.
“He was asking about Mr. Eller. He wanted to know if I had seen him. I didn’t even know he was back. Have any of you seen him?” she asked the group standing around her.
Everyone indicated that they had not. She wondered how long he had been back and if he came here so she went to check the security log. It showed him checking to the S-4 facility for about ten minutes, two days ago. Why hadn’t she seen him? Then it dawned on her. They had worked almost twenty hours straight trying to install the diffusion nozzles in the proper location. They had decided to call it quits at around 0500 to get some sleep before trying to tackle it again. They were simply starting to make far too many mistakes and she was afraid someone would get hurt.
He must have come to the bay while they were all catching up on some sleep. She had missed him and now he was lost in the desert, according to General Devin. She was surprised to find out he had asked for a place to stay just a few doors down from hers. She tried not to read too much into to it. It could mean a plethora of different things but still it excited and intrigued her.
General Devin felt confident that he had covered his tracks. He knew that Eller had not had a chance to cross paths with Dr. Yurris but it showed his diligence in leaving no rock unturned. He had maintained around the clock chopper coverage and ground patrols. Everywhere he went people could sense his concern and urgency. They all knew that time was running out if Eller was going to be found alive.
The general threw everything into the search, working from the center of the base to the outer perimeter, and then reversing the process. The mountains were covered on both foot patrols and by helicopters with infrared and night vision capabilities.
“Goddamn it. He has to be some place out there. The man could be dying. I know you are all tired but this is a representative of the President of the United States. You are all going to have to just redouble your efforts. I want every rock, crevice, and gully explored. I want anything, and I mean anything, you find to be reported immediately. Sorry people, but Mr. Eller’s life hangs in the balance and I don’t intend to give up on him just yet. I need you to keep digging,” the general said, addressing them standing in front of the main security building.
It was all he could do to keep from smiling as they all headed out into the hot sun once again to look for Eller. Only his hand-picked men actually knew where Eller was. They could look until the sun burned out and they would never find Eller, he chuckled to himself.
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
“I’m sorry sir. We have looked in every building, every inch of the desert and climbed ever mountain and hill and have found no sign of Mr. Eller.”
“He didn’t just vanish. He has to be there someplace,” the President insisted.
“Sir, I understand your frustration. I do. We feel the same way. My people have been working around the clock to find him, in temperatures over one hundred degrees. We have had at least one chopper in the air every hour since he went missing. We have used thermo sensing units at night. I’m afraid we have to assume the worst at this point,” the general said sincerely.
“Still, you would have found his remains,” the President said.
“Not necessarily sir. We have coyotes and mountain lions in these parts. If he was bitten by a snake and couldn’t defend himself, well you understand what I’m saying,” the general replied.
“Even then, you should find something. Clothing, shoes, some damn thing.”
“Sir, we had a guard disappear a few years back and it was a year later when someone found his shirt buttons in a pile of coyote dung. They will eat anything without exception,” the general said.
The President sighed, “General, I understand you are doing your best. How much longer do you intend to search?”
“Sir, it will be ongoing, but I do need to release the bombing and gunnery ranges. All branches of the service have been understanding, considering the seriousness of this problem, but it is putting their programs behind schedule. I am getting a steady stream of inquires as to when they think I might open the facilities up so they can start scheduling operations.”
“I can see that it would be a potential issue. You can go ahead and open those sections of Nellis,” the President said.
“Sir, if it helps any, we have literally combed almost every inch of those areas at least a dozen times. I just don’t see how he could be in any of the range areas. I don’t intend to open them all just yet. I am still holding out hope we will find him. For now, I will only open ranges 62 through 65 south. The others are over the mountain areas and I still have men searching those regions,” the general said.
“I appreciate all that you and your men have done. I take it nothing came out of your talk with Dr. Yurris?”
“She maintains that she has not seen or heard from him. I have no reason to doubt her at this time,” the general replied.
“At this time? Are you still having some doubts?”
“Oh, nothing I would hang my hat on, it’s just that I have some doubts about her integrity.”
“Interesting. Thank you general. Now, I need to return to my meeting. You will let me know if something turns up?” he said.
“You will be the first to know,” the general answered.
Raymond felt the rough texture of his whiskers as he lay back against the wall. He was thirsty and hungry. They only brought him a cup of water and a bologna sandwich each day. At the very least they could put mustard on it to break up the monotony.
He looked at the marks on the wall. It had been six days and no one but the guard had been down there. He never spoke, just opened the slot and tossed the sandwich in and an eight ounce bottle of Gatorade. How much longer did they intend to keep him here, he wondered, and to what end? They were going to have to do something with him eventually. He had been over every inch of the cell, probing for any weaknesses but it had been solidly built. He wasn’t going to just scratch or dig his way out of this place.